The cream of the region’s tech talent has been celebrated at the North East and Technology Awards, the BT Dynamites 16.

Held in Newcastle Civic Centre’s Banqueting Hall, more than 350 people came together for the hotly-contested awards, which was hosted by north-east TV actor Daymon Britton and organised by Dynamo, an IT industry-led initiative focused on growing the region’s tech sector.

Chair of the awards panel Phil Jackman said:“The awards are a celebration of everything that is great about the tech industry here in the North East and the evening is also a great opportunity for Dynamo to help bring people together and to help shape the tech scene.

“The future for me is about greater collaboration and co-creation of ideas and products.

“We should be proud of our successes, we can take on the world, yet we need to be mindful of those areas we still have to work on, in particular in creating the right environment for start-ups and in bringing young people into the industry.

“Just look around you, there are some many great careers to be had. I ask for your continued support in making these things happen.

“Dynamo North East is a collective project funded by members. We have grown on a very tight budget and are still building our great story.”

There were 12 awards given, in eight different categories, with Newcastle’s Orange Bus taking the Outstanding Achievement award and the firm’s Angela Conway also winning the Rising Star trophy.

Mike Parker, CTO of Orange Bus, was presented with the outstanding achievement award by Simon Roberson, regional partnership director, North East, of headline sponsors BT, who said: “Our winner is a true North East success story and a big player in the tech industry.

“From the offset the business model was well thought out, showing growth through reputation, good marketing and a good presence. Orange Bus has always punched above their weight and offer a great North East story that you will hear time and time again.”

Mr Jackman, who is chair of the North East ICT Partnership and head of ICT services at Durham County Council, was joined on the judging panel by the following leading IT players: Alan English, managing director, Wherewithal Consulting; Jen Hartley, inward investment director, Tech North; John Hunt, director, Orchard Information Systems; Prof Alastair Irons, head of computing, engineering and technology, University of Sunderland; Lindsay Phillips, MD, HPE and Simon Roberson, regional partnership director North East, BT.

The awards are now in their third year and are delivered by Dynamo, which was established in 2013 by chair Charlie Hoult and Bob Paton, then managing director of Accenture. Dynamo works to grow the North East IT economy through promoting the region as a hub for the enterprise IT sector.

It is made up of IT organisations and employers, technology hubs, educational establishments, local government and employer support initiatives, and concentrates on growing the tech sector through providing a focal point.